Not a cargo ship: The French Navy ship "Somme" was attacked by Somali pirates on Tuesday.
(Thibaut Claisse/ECPAD/French Navy/AP)Photos (1 of 1)
Top 5 blunders of Somali pirates
Somali pirates attacked a French Navy ship by accident Tuesday night. Five suspects are in custody.
By Matthew Clark | Staff writer 10.07.09
It’s time to roll that sad trombone sound again. You know … whomp whomp whomp waaaaah.
Lately, those once fearsome Somali pirates have been behaving more like Keystone Krooks than savvy organized criminals.
Yesterday, they bit off more than they could chew by attacking a French Navy ship off the coast of their lawless country.
They thought it was a cargo vessel.
D’oh!
“Once they realized they were facing a ship that was responding and was heading towards them, they stopped shooting and attempted to flee,” said French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck. “The Somme [a command and supply ship] gave chase and intercepted one of the pirates’ boats. All the weapons had apparently been tossed into the sea and the suspected pirates are now being held on board the Somme.”
Sigh.
Apparently, that’s what happens when you attack at night without hi-tech equipment. Despite some evidence of off-shore mother ships, sophisticated money and intelligence transfers, most Somali pirates are rag-tag groups of impoverished fishermen and other coastal dwellers who are in it for some quick cash. With dreams of ransom riches dancing in their heads, they grab their AK-47s, jump into small skiffs, and try to take on passing trading vessels. (Read the recent cover story of our weekly magazine for an inside look at how the business works.)
This is the third time this year that Somali pirates have attacked a Western military vessel by mistake, which brings us to our Top 5 list of Somali pirates blunders.
5. Last night’s attack on the French Navy vessel.
4. On May 4, the French Navy captured 11 pirates off the coast of Somalia as part of a European Union operation to protect shipping. The pirates reportedly mistook a French frigate for a commercial ship.
3. On March 30, pirates apparently mistook a German NATO supply ship, the FGS Spessart, for a merchant ship when they targeted it in the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen. “Poor judgment by the pirates turned out to be a real opportunity for seven nations representing three task forces to work together and strike a momentous blow for maritime safety and security,” said a NATO spokesman.
2. On Sept. 26, 2008, pirates seized the Faina, a Ukrainian vessel loaded with $30 million worth of grenade launchers, piles of ammunition, and battle tanks.
Jackpot! Well, sort of. After four months of negotiations, the owners paid $3.2 million in cash dropped by parachute.
But this particular pirate operation also resulted in global attention and a concerted military response. It’s now much harder for the brigands to ply the region’s waters with impunity.
“After the Faina was taken, two task forces — from Nato and the EU — have sailed for the Gulf of Aden along with an assortment of warships from other nations,” reports the London-based Times newspaper. “It was the thought of heavy weaponry falling into the hands of the country’s Islamists — some with links to Al Qaeda — at one of the country’s arms bazaars that provoked an international military response.”
1. On April 8, pirates seized the US-flagged 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food aid from USAID and other agencies to help malnourished people in Uganda and Somalia. The pirates didn’t last long. In a rescue worthy of a Hollywood script, US Navy SEAL snipers killed three pirates and freed the American sea captain who had offered himself as a hostage to save his crew.
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2. Scott Macdonald | 10.07.09
That’s all well and good but why are we detaining these priates at significant costs to everyone? They(pirates) are attacking, why don’t we as countries just kill them in self defense ?? When attacking they don’t seem to be worrying about anyone else’s rights!
3. Michael Z. Williamson | 10.07.09
And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
I suppose it makes sense, if one smokes enough dope.
4. BeauEvil | 10.07.09
Don’t wait for mistakes. Loan deck-mounted anti-aircraft guns to merchant vessels and outfit a few cargo vessels as military ambushes. Then, after killing as many of the pirates as possible on the sea, storm the beach and clear the rat’s nest. Death to pirates!
9. Maxim | 10.07.09
Mister Matthew Clark, better roll out the sad trombone sound for your own article.
The pirates are also people who were forced into this life by the misery in their starving country. Isn’t it funny when someone’s so hungry he goes out to risk his life at sea on a small old boat and an AK-47? It’s hilarious when they get killed, right? A veritable slap-stick comedy. “You’re in for it now, brownie, my navy ship costs more than your whole country”.
D’oh.
10. Jim L | 10.07.09
Why don’t did’nt the ship just run over the boats and then look for survivors, they would probably got them both then.
11. Hookah | 10.07.09
I am suprised the French vessel didn’t raise the white flag on the first shot.
12. Kitsune | 10.07.09
Maybe we should feel sorry that the French “warships” don’t look at all warlike. 
15. Joe the American | 10.07.09
Well actually, it’s not sad trombones…it’s muted trumpets that go, “Wah, wah, wah, wahhhhh.”
What can I say, I was a music major.
16. E.T | 10.07.09
Scott Macdonald, I understand your thoughts completely, but from past reading materials regarding Somali pirates, they never really tried to hurt anyone when capturing vessels. Of course they were hostile, and yes they were brutes, but some took care of their hostage and even shared their food with the hostages. The powerful countries of the “civilized” world should never stoop down to barbarism.
17. Joe | 10.07.09
I believe each country should kill pirates on sight. Just offer ten American dollars for each pirate head brought in. If the country is so lawless please allow any organized military to exploit and annex this coast, turning it into a productive land with a democratic republic. Send the refugees north, evicting them. My bet is the country would skyrocket in prosperity. Feel free to flame me but please realize this is a solution.
21. dese 1066 | 10.07.09
cisco cividanes(load of rubbish….
I agree with you Scott Mac,,,blow them out of the water and save everyone time and money,if they had the firepower you could bet if they could’nt take a ship they’d inflict as much damage as they could.At the same time send special op’s in and take their boats out at their villages,again I bet the french have been thinking that way..
22. kevin | 10.07.09
I would say attacking a French warship is preferable than attacking a cargo vessel as you have a greater chance of defeating the French military than a boatload of drunken sailors.
23. Matt | 10.07.09
Everyone keeps mocking the French Navy, but they’ve actually got a rather impressive fleet and have been a naval and ground power for basically as long as there has been a “France”.
24. Snake | 10.07.09
It would make sense to arm a “civilian” ship and cruise around trying to attract pirates, periodically painting the ship a different color. Lock-up the pirates on the same ship. Cheap and effective. When the ship is full, dump them in the first E.U. port and go back for more. The E.U. can put the pirates on the dole. Problem solved.
25. Dave Kitkpatrick | 10.07.09
Yes, the French have a navy. It is well documented in the book “Great French Miltary Victories,” and fascinating 5-page pamphlet that can be found on Amazon.com.
26. Slamminsam | 10.07.09
I’m surprised the French didn’t offer them wine a cheese and then surrender their ship. (after coffee and cigarettes of course).
28. salil ghoshal | 10.07.09
The hoopla about the crisis at sea should be taken with a pinch of salt…..
The priority at hand could improve the traffic at sea …….
sea traffic like air traffic is transforming the way we think and process our goods and services…..
looking at a 1000000 square miles of land and a 1000000 square miles of water could soon lead us to believe that the African and the Antartic continents are developing their resources to manage this run-away-ecconomy that makes the Red sea project more feasible today………
The balkans showed us that this ecconomy lies dormaint and arguable unknown to the average viewer…..
salil.
29. Dan | 10.07.09
I think it would be a very effective strategy for NATO or EU government’s to disguise some of their naval vessels as commercial or cargo ships to lure the pirates out into the open and then blast them into oblivion.
Make ‘em all into shark food, I say.
30. Googleplex | 10.07.09
Following due process is the way to go. In the West we do not shoot the first thing that moves, there are rules of engagement. Civilians often can’t understand this.
For Somali folks only law is an AK and the local war chiefs feudal justice.
Things were going well for the pirates until they hijacked that arms ship. It should be noted that they do not kill any captives as there only objective is ransom $$$s.
Ponder this. There are 1000’s of kidnappings in the UK and USA annually, far more than off the Somali coast. However no one sends a warship to defend people at home. What is the difference. Could it be protecting ships/cargo more than protecting the sailors?
31. Lieutenant Commander | 10.07.09
Maxim,
Take it easy guy. Have you heard what the pirates do with the money? They act like rock stars, go to clubs, get drunk, buy prostitutes and then repeat the cycle as much as possible. I am partially sympathetic considering Somali pirates started out as fishermen trying to protect the international raping of their territorial fishing grounds but that is where my sympathy ends.
33. carl | 10.07.09
this reminds me of another funny story. Republicans attack democrats over health care reform and the democrats run away crying how mean the other party is. Waaah!
35. apathetician | 10.07.09
Michael Z. Williamson wrote “And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
I suppose it makes sense, if one smokes enough dope.”
I guess you don’t need to smoke dope to be one. Weapons aren’t allowed on civilian vessels because of international maritime law and allowing them to do so would allow the ports of other countries to treat our civilian vessels as they do our military vessels and drastically reduce our ability to export goods effectively. But I guess when issues can’t be summed up with three word bumper sticker they shoot right over the head of people who think a wink and a Drill Baby Drill slogan qualifies somebody to lead the country.
36. Asterix | 10.07.09
Hmm seems a travesty in judgement and political will if we cannot keep an impoverished, lawless backward country with virtually no resources, in check - given our vast wealth and power. The French do have a Navy and they are good!
37. No Pity | 10.07.09
>> The pirates are also people who were forced into this life by the misery
>> in their starving country. Isn’t it funny when someone’s so hungry he
>> goes out to risk his life at sea on a small old boat and an AK-47? It’s
>> hilarious when they get killed, right? A veritable slap-stick
>> comedy. “You’re in for it now, brownie, my navy ship costs more than your
>> whole country”.
Well, speaking just for me… IT’S HILARIOUS… especialy when clowns in a skill attack a navy warship, even if it is the French Navy. The three shot by the US should be just a start!
38. Jersey | 10.07.09
Miss Maxim,
So, in the end, the poor, hungry pirates get to eat brie and cheese with the French and we get to pay for it? I guess the saying is true…give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day, give a man to the French, and he will eat for a lifetime…
39. dese 1066 | 10.07.09
dj,tyler,hookah……..hey guys,as americans if thats what you are you really show one common denominator………ignorance
Maxim,don’t make excuses for anyone except yourself and yes it’s hilarious when they are killed,if you’ve ever been shot at you’d know that !!!!
40. Miami Mike | 10.07.09
These guys tried the same trick on on not one but TWO US Navy ships a few years ago. After a few seconds of personal attention by some very minor weaponry (.50cal machine guns), the surviving pirates were interrogated in the brig of the guided missile cruiser they were crazy enough to attack. Interrogator - WTF were you guys thinking? Answer - We had you outnumbered, there were three of us and only two of you.
Well at least this guy can count, but not much more. This piracy is a problem, I’m thinking we need to go further up the food chain to stop it than busting the little guys in the small boats (If you take us to your leader, we MIGHT let you live.)
41. yolanda | 10.07.09
Why exactly is #2 a blunder? I think a group of impoverished people getting $3.2 million dollars falling on them from the sky is an unqualified success. It’s not like the pirates all gather together at some pirate conference in Somalia wondering whether each strike is strategically wise for the whole pirate movement… I am far from impoverished and would greatly enjoy a moment like this.
42. Dave S | 10.07.09
The idea of arming merchant vessels to fight off the pirates looks appealing, until you realize that these vessels’ purpose is to dock in countries where armed vessels may not be very welcome. US ports would no doubt be wary of an armed foreign ship floating into our harbors. Likewise, ports all over the world try to discourage (or simply do not allow) armed merchant vessels in their harbors.
43. Bob | 10.07.09
Maybe the US Navy (and the rest) should hang signs off the sides of their ships saying “Official Cargo Ship Carrying Lots Of Stuff”
44. Dan | 10.07.09
It’s so predictable the western response of portraying themselves as hapless victims of ruthless pirates and lashing out against the “left” for not being tough enough. It’s just too bad that that point of view is divorced from context. Seeing as I don’t own these ships or their cargo, I fail to connect with the western sense of outrage about this. I certainly don’t lose any sleep over hearing about huge multinational corporations losing billions to impoverished pirates. The merchandise on those cargo ships was more or less plundered from some other source, so why not give the Somalis a fighting chance to pull themselves up by their boot straps.
45. foarte buna | 10.07.09
Well, well, well. The French did something right for a change. The French haven’t had an army since Napoleon, they had to sink their own navy during WWII and my gosh they did something right. The United States had to rescue the French in two world wars and now the French finally have something to brag about.
46. Ron | 10.07.09
Its hard to find pity for the pirates, their country is destitute, starving and poor because Somalia has allowed itself to be governed by opportunistic warlords and medievally-thinking Islamic jurists. The only time they had outsiders there actually trying to help them, they attacked the UN relief agencies, necessitating US Marines to deliver food. Incidentally, most of the food relief columns delivering food outside of Mogadishu, drove tons of food through miles and miles of crop fields and livestock. Somalia brings it’s ills on itself and has throughout time.
47. David | 10.07.09
Well, so much for the resale of unused French weapons. Another thriving business that dates back to 1918 fails.
48. Cate S | 10.07.09
Enough with the “I can’t believe the French didn’t surrender”. Har, har, har. Before you start calling them Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys, why don’t you study some history. Or did you forget that their aid is a large part of the reason we won our independence from Britain? Or that much of modern military theory originated in France? And yes, Paris was conquered and occupied during WWII, but they didn’t exactly lay down and take it. There’s a reason we call “virtuous” rebel groups La Resistance. Lay off the French for once people.
49. Cosmos | 10.07.09
I know this is funny, but you should keep in mind these pirates poor farmers put out of business by large multinational corporations that have put them out of business. It’s easy to laugh when you live in a country with plenty of options if you are put out of work.
Who would Jesus side with, Monsanto or the pirates?
51. Josesp Ranco | 10.07.09
break out the tinfoil hat….
It is not “the left”, it is international treaties. while it is a good idea it would require an agreement with every country that a ship sails to.
“4. Michael Z. Williamson | 10.07.09
And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
I suppose it makes sense, if one smokes enough dope.”
52. taojonz | 10.07.09
It’s not a left or right issue. The corporations that own these vessels don’t want to arm their sailors for legal and ethical reasons (merchant sailors don’t sign up to fight), nor do they want a military presence on their vessels. I love how right wing folks love to blast the left over issues that have nothing to do with politics. This is all about corporations and their liabilities.
53. Herschel Krustofski | 10.07.09
I am always amazed by ignorant (presumably) Americans who always, always, always come up with the white flag tirade when France is involved in anything war related. They forget that, had it not been for France, the independence of their own very country would probably take a few more decades to happen (hint: google General Lafayette, simpletons), which would basically waste a fantastic generation of thinkers that shaped America into what it is today.
Chop chop everyone: go back to your history books and learn who Lafayette, Von Steuben and others were, and how you would be under British boot for quite longer wasn’t it for France.
55. Sciguybm | 10.07.09
That’s what “Flash” Cards are for!
Hmmm…. looks like the “warship” card, not the supply ship card.
oh what the heck, let’s go for it…..!?!
Should have stayed in “pirate” school for the “Identify Ships” class.
56. ceh | 10.07.09
You forgot the one where after the pirates got the ransom of millions of dollars, divided it among a few of them (stuffed in their clothes), and left the hijacked ship in their skiff. However, several boats from rival pirates came after them, and in the ensuing chase, the boat capsized, drowning all but one of them (and the sole survivor lost all the money).
57. Borjan Babic | 10.07.09
“That’s no moon - er, cargo ship!”
Poor bastards. I kinda feel sorry for them; they can’t be too well-educated if they’d make that blunder. They’re probably just trying to get by (albeit in the most illegal way).
58. John Holmes | 10.07.09
True, the pirates probably wouldn’t be pirates if they were richer. Yet it’s also true that child molesters tend to be people molested as children, and wife beaters learned spousal abuse in the home.
We need to resist the abuse excuse. It’s self-perpetuating. If we can’t stop one bad thing until some other bad thing is eradicated, we can’t fix anything.
59. Mo | 10.07.09
Before too much enjoying the apparent misjudgment by these pirates, remember how these untrained, under equipped bunch of guys humiliated the world’s most powerful navies over and over again by hijacking hundreds of ships in a few years and mostly not getting caught. Not only that, but they also managed to bring the worlds most powerful maritime businesses by having them pay hundreds of millions of dollars. What they do is incredibly difficult, thats what navy special forces (i.e. SEALS) train every day: boarding a moving ship and taking it over. These guys do it with primitive equipment and limited resources. While what they do is criminal, they deserve some professional respect.
60. JoelP | 10.07.09
I love it when folks make excuses for stupid choices. The men could have sold their ak47s bought some seeds, and planted them. Or used the money to buy a shovel and taken the time to dig a well, or better yet a bus ticket out. The reason they are impoverished is because their government is corrupt and doesn’t care about them, which sucks, but they have a choice and they didn’t have to pick piracy. They deserve whatever bad happens to them.
61. Antonius | 10.07.09
You want to stop piracy? Let’s go old school and just shoot them on sight. No prisoners.
62. dc | 10.07.09
So, anyone who has read O’Brian’s “Aubry and Maturin” series would know that disguising your warship as a commercial vessel in order to lure in pirates is a several hundred year old idea. The French seem to have stumbled onto this tactic again. Of course a resupply ship looks a lot like a cargo vessel, it *is* a cargo vessel.
So… why not do this on purpose? Let the Navy lease a few sorry-looking container ships for a while, decorate them with some empty containers, and staff them with a few Marines.
63. shinet | 10.07.09
We should act like grownups and protect our ships - trying to capture the pirates but being ready to shoot them outright if that is unfeasible. I haven’t really heard any arguments (good or otherwise) against arming merchant vessels,but I am inclined to think that this has more to do with the merchants not being willing to step up to the cost, training and liability, not legal problems.
Incidentally, I love the outrage against “the liberals” for being against arming the merchant vessels - I don’t know any liberals that are against it.
It also seems a bit juvenile to have this knee-jerk response against the French, apparently because 70 years ago they were overwhelmed in WWII. This is getting a bit old.
64. Travis | 10.07.09
After reading this article off a link from Google News I scrolled back to the top and noticed it was from the Christian Science Monitor.
I was surprised because the tone of the article and the content in a lot of the comments don’t seem very Christian to me.
65. Curt Degler | 10.07.09
Michael Z. Williamson writes:
“And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
I suppose it makes sense, if one smokes enough dope.”
It is the very rich and wealthy ship owners and the powerful multinational companies who insure the cargo they carry and the lives of the carrier’s employees (aka sailors) that established this policy of non-violent non-resistance against pirates. By all accounts they are not the typical dope smoking Leftist commie rats you disdain so sterotypically Mr. Williamson. Get a life.
66. PFoss | 10.07.09
These five blunders provide the clues necessary to break Somali piracy. Disguise naval combat vessels as freighters or tankers and lure pirates into traps. The business of piracy will become too risky for its already risk-fraught rewards. In parallel, track ransom payments by using marked bills. These two approaches — i.e. capture pirates and their money — will discourage their followers. The probability of life in a prison or execution won’t be worth the possibility of instant wealth.
68. Chuck Felch | 10.07.09
Nice. Except you repeated one of the myths of the Maersk Alabama story, that the Captain “offered himself as a hostage to save his crew.” Didn’t you see the in depth cable specials on Discovery and TLC? The crew’s actions saved the Alabama and prevented the pirates from getting back to their mothership! Phillips was a hostage because he was captured two minutes after the pirates boarded and he was the only prisoner left at the end of the day. The rest of the crew either freed themselves or never got caught at all!
69. JD | 10.07.09
To Maxim,
Living in poverty does not give them the right to attack innocent people and threaten lives for a ransom. These people are common theives with weapons and deserve to be ridiculed. They would be better off using these waepons to organize a revolution against a tyrranical government, than killing innocent people. Heck, in 5 years they could move to the US and get free government healthcare and live on welfare.
70. Gorillamo | 10.07.09
Maxim,
Their life is indeed a sad reality, but this doesn’t give the pirates the right to seize ships by force and put other people’s lives in jeopardy.
Their anger and energy should be directed towards correcting the problems at home.
71. Jae’da | 10.07.09
We don’t kill the pirates on sight because that would mean that the pirates would respond with more violence against the ships they DO manage to capture that are unarmed or otherwise subdued. That is why the 3 pirates shot in the rescue of the Maersk Alabama Captain were allowed to live for so long.
Most commercial companies don’t want to either: (1) pay for mercenaries / bodyguards / military support (2) don’t want firefights to occur near their cargo (3) don’t want the crew endangered by that form of resistance. It has nothing to do with politics. The average cost of ransom makes it much less costly, in their opinion, to simply pay the ransom than to deal with potentially bloody consequences. Make a little sense next time.
And yes, ultimately the problem with these pirates is that they are destitute. The life of a successful pirate is fraught with riches, women, and respect on the coastal sanctuaries for these thugs. Suffer with commercial ships driving away your business, or attempt to make ends meet — or more — by capturing a trade ship… if you’re desperate enough, you’ll get the gun and go “do something” about it. The solution to the problem isn’t to kill the pirates, it’s to stabilize their country and provide jobs for these people. Idle minds are often more discontent.
72. foarte buna | 10.07.09
Well, well, well Herschel, I do believe the United States has repaid France ten fold over for Mr Lafayette. We won the wars for the French when they had been beaten, battered and bruised by the Germans in 2 yes 2 world wars. So no more of this crap about Lafayette. Besides who came to the aid of France to rebuild their country after WWII the United States of course. The French owe the world not just the U. S. but the whole world. I also remember Diem Bien Pooh or how ever it’s spelled.
73. swschrad | 10.07.09
really, quite a simple challenge. attack on a warship? “died resisting arrest in international waters following a brief skirmish.”
by putting a squad of each seafaring nation’s marines on each ship transitting the Gulf of Aden, problem solved in 6 months.
next… ?
74. Damian | 10.07.09
I have to say reading the comments here have left me disgusted with the general attitude to the subject.
My understanding is that you all just want to kill the Pirates and be done with it, and have a laugh about it.
And disparaging remakes about the french, I am sorry but you just sound like small mind petty fools. Maybe its time you grew up.
How is this living up to Christian values.
75. Jaybird | 10.07.09
It’s hard to believe there actually are whiny do-gooders who think the “poor pirates” should have the right to take what they want at gunpoint from whoever happens to come in view. I bet their super-liberal view would change in a hurry if they were captured and robbed!
76. Ralph | 10.07.09
That was the France of long ago.. that helped Americans overcome the British.. The France of today is the post revolution France. A country of socialists, paying for people to stay home. welcoming immigrants by the boatloads.. Wonder how many Somalis live in France?
77. Jack Sparrow | 10.07.09
The media likes to sensationalize things such as these “pirate attacks”, these guys aren’t pirates they’re 3rd world fishermen whose waters were pirated after the Somali government collapsed. They can’t compete with massive fishing expeditions sent by the Japs or Europeans (illegally mind). They don’t know what they’re doing but I’d be doing the same thing if putting meals on the family table involved hijacking passing ships.
78. GVitali | 10.07.09
Several comments here below show how much ignorant are many American citizens, particularly in geography, history and geopolitics. French navy is one of the best equiped and French commandos are among the most efficient and well trained in the world.
Unfortunately, past US Administrations did not address what with all evidence seems to be a society education failure. May the present Administration manage to stimulate a national thourough revision of the education system in the US.
Good luck!
80. Vitaly | 10.07.09
It is sad that out media is completely ignoring the side of the “pirates,” who do not recognize being referred to as “pirates.” The story is much more complex than the one sided crap we have been fed on the issue.
The Western vessels have been illegally dumping toxic waste and over-fishing. They have abused a defenseless nation’s coastal region to the point of starvation, and now we expect the fishermen community to just rollover and die?
81. Yoyo head | 10.07.09
I think we should use this as an obvious opportunity to make “decoy” cargo ships, only, the cargo happens to be a full crew of highly trained and armed soldiers. This would cause them to think about the ships they attack and reduce their odds of success.
82. Larry Linn | 10.07.09
Gee, wish that the U.S. Navy was effective against the pirates as the French Navy has been.
83. Fred Wilson | 10.07.09
Somalia has been totally trashed by “Developed Countries” dumping toxic waste in the sea and on the land since the 1908’s, causing population illnes, poisoned land, animals, and crops. Radiation poisoning of the sea off the coast ruined fishing for food and jobs. The “country” has no structure, nothing but famine, pestilence, and fighting for food and existance. you can see the report here http://bariisiyobasto.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/nuclear-and-toxic-waste-tsunami-uncovers-poisons-dumped-off-somali-coast/
When you find the toxic waste in your back yard at that level will you be a pirate?
84. Dan | 10.07.09
Why does everyone oppose the pirates so vehemently? The cargo on those ships was plundered from some other source by multinationals, so if the pirates see fit to take the risk and plunder those resources for themselves, well, I have no problem with that.
85. senojjones | 10.07.09
GVitali:
We’re not ignorant, it’s just that we’ve had to bail the French out several times in the last century. Even Vietnam was the result of the French Colonialists getting hosed. And the French have been defeated twice by the Italians, how embaressing is that?
Pirates should be shot…
Somethings, like trying to take a ship at sea by force, just voids your warrenty.
There’s no excuse.
86. Justin Passing | 10.07.09
“the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense.”
not everything’s the fault of “the left.” Big petroleum and other MNCs don’t want armed squads on their tankers and freighters for liability reasons. Their insurance would go through the roof. It’s literally cheaper to pay off the pirates.
so actually it’s the fault of market forces. chew on that a while.
87. mmm??? | 10.07.09
Well, I am not surprised to see ignorant americans who do not know much about world. They don’t even know they are figting a war in afganistan, but they think Iraq is in Africa.
88. Ragout | 10.07.09
Reading all those French bashing comments, sad display of ignorance and xenophobia..
And then we go crying out loud “oh - why does the entire world hate us”…
89. Amazed | 10.07.09
“their government is corrupt” Er, they don’t have a government. That’s why other countries came in to trawl all their fish and dump toxic waste. Hence the starving fishermen, hence the pirates. And no, going in there and killing a bunch of them won’t fix it, they already kill each other by the truckload.
Laugh at the stupid desperate pirates. Jeez you Americans are really ignorant morons. Natural selection is coming for YOU next.
90. Nunya | 10.07.09
I love how so many people are appalled by the ‘kill them’ comments and the like. Everyone is so calm-minded and quick to point out what should be done or what they would do in that situation. I can guarantee that anyone reading this, put in a situation where ‘pirates’ are attempting to sieze your vessel, would do what was necessary at the time (surrender or fight). You can take your ‘thou shall not kill’ and all that other Bible bickery and throw it out the window along with the other rediculous views. I imagine you’d be a little to preoccupied trying to save your own ars instead of quoting Bible verses and praying to your God.
And the French Navy comments are obviously people only poking fun at the French for their usual war antics from back in the day. Don’t take it to heart…they’re only jokes, children.
91. Elinbatido | 10.07.09
Damian
Yes, we all want to kill the pirates on sight.Reguarding the french cest la vie.
By the way who said we are all christians.
92. Sam Goodrich | 10.07.09
I’m really disappointed by all the heartless comments posted by ignorant people who don’t know what the word poverty means. These people are faced with 2 options when they reach adolescence: piracy or militancy. If they don’t choose one they will starve to death. You people who declare the death sentence should be ashamed of yourselves thinking that you are somehow better. Try helping them. You think they’d be pirates if they had enough food and had a job or even a stable government?
93. Bob B | 10.07.09
I am a proud American who knows something about French and American history - pqst and present. Fro hundreds of years their military has been second to very few nations. At times second to none. They remain so today. Without the French military presence today, in many parts of the world, the balance of power would internationally would be different significantly.
94. ProfElwood | 10.07.09
There’s two sides to every story. While we must condemn the pirates, we should also be protecting their waters from other countries. Their fishing waters are being raped by outsiders and filled with illegal garbage dumping. Funny how we are so busy stopping the illegal pirates but don’t lift a finger to protect their waters from illegal dumpers.
95. John | 10.07.09
You left out the time they attacked an Indian warship: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/19/piracy-somalia3
Can’t wait to see what tired old one-liners the Jim Rome wannabes around here attach to this story.
96. Mike Rosen | 10.07.09
It sounds to me like the “pirates” won this one, unless the navies can come find the “mother ship.”
97. Chad Tracker | 10.07.09
Hey, knuckle dragging DittoHeds, If the French hadn’t helped up win our indepenence we might still be British citizens and the “Queen” wouldn’t be Glenn Beck.
98. Bob D | 10.07.09
Tell you what Dan #45, We’ll come over your house and take everything worth more than a nickle, cause after all we’re just trying to lift ourselves up by our bootstraps.
99. B | 10.07.09
What’s with all the anti-French military comments? Why don’t you people read up about the French Paras of the First Indochina War and tell me how weak they are?
Educate yourselves instead of regurgitating sound bites
101. Dan | 10.07.09
“And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense.”
Wrong. Sure, some people on the Left. There are a lot of lefty liberal types like me that own and shoot guns and aren’t opposed to this at all. Heck, we have to be as well-armed as the Christian right wing nut jobs that want to rule this country and take away our rights.
102. Braney Rubble | 10.07.09
French Navy? Isn’t that an oxymoron like military intelligence or peace force?
103. African | 10.07.09
Out of the bunch of arrogant and “the dumbest comments contest” , thanks to Fred Wilson and Vitaly for sheddin’ some light of hope for the human race. Bande de connards !
104. Ashley | 10.07.09
GVitali (#79) “French navy is one of the best equiped and French commandos are among the most efficient and well trained in the world.”.
Mmmmm. I seem to remember when the Rainbow Warrior was sunk by the French Commandos in Auckland, NZ, they were captured by the local police when trying to escape from NZ. It was hilarious. Millions to train these experts and caught by the local ‘Fuzz’.
105. Joel Miller | 10.07.09
I normally don’t look at the reader comments — and I recall why, after reading these: most of the posters have lost all their humanity. There’s no compassion, no sense of the rule of law, no common sense, even! Most of the folks making comments seem to me no different than the pirates… except that the pirates might actually have an excuse for doing such terrible things.
106. AJ Webber | 10.07.09
Please, enough with the French-bashing. France is one of the great nations and cultures of the world. Militarily, they have never been the cream-puffs many Americans defame them as. Ever heard of Napolean Bonaparte? Or WWI, where the French, in defeating the Germans, lost more soldiers than America has in all it’s wars combined.
If ever 2 nations should be friends, it’s France and America. The U.S. liberated France from the Nazis, and French military and economic aid was instrumental in the victory of the American Revolution. There would never have been a USA without France’s help, so lay off the frogs already.
107. ShermanKent | 10.07.09
Maxim, we love your magazine, of course, but your justification for the murderous, criminal behavior of pirates is not exactly compelling. Poverty does not excuse crime. If the pirates need a role model, perhaps they could look to the millions of other impoverished Somalis who don’t turn to piracy. It is quite possible to be both poor and law abiding.
108. TheJerk | 10.07.09
I think all pirates captured should be let go immediately. Of course by “letting go”, I mean free them and kick them off the ship and into the ocean. Then bring out a nice bucket of chum, start throwing it all around the pirates, and watch the show.
109. Q | 10.07.09
Yes, those poor, poor pirates. Forced into armed kidnapping and ransom. We should send them more weapons (and some nightvision equip)- so they’re not so disadvantaged.
Don’t they want sharia rule in Somalia? Then lets let the punishment fit the crime; chop off the hands of the pirates, put them back in the skiff, drain it of fuel, and give them all oars to row-row-row their boat back to shore… with their feet.
Stealing a loaf of bread to feed your family is one thing, stealing a million+ dollar ship, and ransoming it (and it’s crew thats been held hostage) for a few million bucks, is quite another.
110. townie1952 | 10.07.09
Michael Z Williamson, why do you say the “left” opposed something when it is international law that prohibits armed ships from entering another country’s territorial waters (there are a lot of countries between USA and Somalia in case you don’t know) Something no one on this site seems to know is that the Europeans are dumping nuclear medical waste in some Somalian waters and sending high tech trawlers to fish in other areas virtually starving that country. I don’t know which came first, lawlessness in Somalia, or Europeans hospitals dumping medical waster and Europeans stealing all of that country’s fish, but both should stop, and we only have influence on one party. If you want to do something about Somali pirates, do something about European pirates.
111. Mr. Info | 10.07.09
You people have to realize why these pirates are doing this. The European countries are raping their oceans of fish. They are putting toxic waste in their waters… what would you do if you family was starving? How would you react? Us Americans have the luxury of going to walmart any time to get food for our family they don’t.
112. John Collins | 10.07.09
Why not use ship destined for the scrap heap, re-outfit them naval personnel, and send these ships out as tankers or cargo ships.
113. Dr. Bill | 10.07.09
I would like to answer some of the comments on this story.
1. Why don’t Merchant ships carry weapons?
Because most ports won’t allow an armed merchant ship to dock. You can’t dock in most harbors in the world with armed sailors carrying RPGs and machine guns on board.
2. Does France have a Navy?
Yes, the French Navy consists of a full range of vessels, from patrol boats to guided missile frigates, and operates a nuclear aircraft carrier and ten nuclear submarines. The French Navy existed hundreds of years before America even existed, and supported our American Revolution against the British by fighting British warships and supply ships 1775 - 1780.
3. Why didn’t the French ship give up?
Because they cleverly avoid only unwinnable battles (like Iraq).
4. No, “french fries” are not French.
Dr. Bill
114. JJ | 10.07.09
Everyone wants to dis the French, but they are the only one with balls to go on shore and pull pirates from their mansions on the beach.
115. Me | 10.07.09
Huh, it seems that retarded, brainwashed or ignorant bigots are what are most of the csmonitor commentators : appalling. They should rather get a life and learn a bit of history and a few facts, starting with Yorktown and Lafayette.
«The French»
http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=7061&IBLOCK_ID=35
116. Old Salt | 10.07.09
I say, foget all this high and mighty solve the worlds problems crap. If these thugs/punks want to play pirate, thats fine. They know the concequences and when it comes down to it let Davie Jones sort them out.
117. Bryce | 10.07.09
Wow actually I would have bet that the pirates would have taken the ship seeing as how its from France…
118. Gill Bates | 10.07.09
Yes, they are idiots - but they are also desperate, poor and have nothing to lose.
If western powers (and their own country) would help improve their living conditions I bet the attacks would drop significantly.
120. Jeff | 10.07.09
Attacking French military ships is even stupider than attacking American flagged cargo ships– which is, as we have seen, monumentally stupid.
121. Arnold S. | 10.07.09
These guys are lucky Africans… maritime law allows hanging pirates at the discretion of the captain of the ship.
You and me and everyone reading this are the direct result of the choices we make or have made… if these unfortunate Africans end up at the end of a rope (or 180 gains of copper jacketed lead) then it is because of the choices they made… plain and simple…!
“You have a choice… it may not be the choice you want, but it is still a choice.” Michelle Pfeiffer in “Dangerous Minds” …how ture of all of us!
122. Calabasas Kris | 10.07.09
GooglePlex Hit the NAIL on the HEAD - its about saving the CARGO not lives - Corporatism will surely smite its creator - us…
123. SRS | 10.07.09
Don’t worry, the French ships are built to automatically roll over if the confrontation goes badly.
124. seymor | 10.07.09
its ridiculous that so many people have sympathy for a bunch of thugs who always want an easy way out instead of correcting the problems in their own country. then it’s the fault of the injured party for getting upset about being robbed.
125. Dave D | 10.07.09
“And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
I suppose it makes sense, if one smokes enough dope”
Blah, blah, blah…
William, whoever you are. The shippers don’t want to arm because that would increase their liability and risk to the crews. Nothing to do with the ‘Left’. Maybe you should stop smoking whatever you are smoking?
126. Maxim | 10.07.09
Lieutennant Commander, Jersey, dese 1066, JD, Gorillamo, your replies were surprisingly similar, so I’m going to reply to you all at once.
You all seem to be making the same point - that the pirates all deserve the punishment they get because they’ve been doing something wrong. That’s an excuse I hear all the time from people justifying war and violence. But to a pirate, death is simply the risk of the profession, it’s not some divine punishment that will teach him to behave. Being killed is simply the risk of the life chosen long ago. However, choosing that life is nothing shameful, in fact it’s something all of you would probably do in their place, considering the alternative - starving and living in misery all your life (which if you can’t get medicine or food, is probably even shorter than the life of a pirate). You would be pirates, you would be threatening or even killing people. If some bored American mocked you, you’d invite him to take your place and maybe start a better life… in Somalia.
So go ahead, look for excuses to justify murder. The fact is, these are tragic souls and saying “they deserved it”, is just a way of clearing your conscience. To me, it’s simply cruel. There are better and more humane ways of fixing countries and helping people than simply going out and start shooting. They’re harder and more expensive, but also not nearly as inhuman.
127. Aaron | 10.07.09
I’m surprised the French ship didn’t raise a white flag and surrender, I mean, isn’t that their M.O.?
128. INOV8TN | 10.07.09
Somalia has virtually no government and little national concern… for anything. As tragic as the crimes of the developed nations are, the pirates are not retaliating for the toxic waste and over-fishing. The pirates are making a buck - pure and simple. There is no connection except in our underutilized minds. There are treaties that prohibit armed ships from entering ports. The pirates are taking advantage of the unarmed merchant vessals. The straight-forward way to handle the problem is to temporariy arm the merchant vessals as they transit the dangeous areas and unarm them before they arrive at their next port of call. Criminals are bullies of the first order. Fight back and they will leave the area or get into another line of work.
129. Just Saying | 10.07.09
You better believe messing with American Flagged ships is their number 1 mistake. You mess with the French you get arrested. You mess with the US and you get DEAD, (then if you live you get arrested) nuff’ said.
131. Proud cheese eater | 10.07.09
I wonder how many US readers have been beyond primary school. Their comments are so blatantly ignorants that they are a shame not only for themselves but for their country as well.
What is good to know that the massive immigration in the US is decreasing inexorably their numbers and fresh “colored” blood will clean up the place.
132. Dr.Freud | 10.07.09
The jokes about French surrending is getting old.
All you middle age folks trying to be funny shuold log off.
and you kids should probably be doing something more prodcutive, like shuttin up.
and yea, im surprised French didn’t surrender
134. Proud cheese eater | 10.07.09
For the so called moderators:
If you do moderate as your TOS could let me think then you moderate one way only. Do your job fully or don’t do it at all.
135. kathy | 10.07.09
I had to read 84 posts until I got to the truth of the matter. Why is Fred the only person who knows of the illegal chemical dumping off the coast? Could you say that 1 out of 84 people get their news from sources other than Main Stream Media, or that 83 people out of 84 only watch news from what is shown to them on Fox news at 10? What else do the 83 people not know? Why would we even want their opinion if they are too lazy to search for the truth? I’m really getting tired of all these folks who don’t know a damn thing about anything, acting like 10 minutes of Fox network is going to enlighten them. I wish they would wake up and see how munipulated they have all become!
136. Heinrich | 10.07.09
This MUST be a first for the French Navy! A victory. Not much of an adversary but much safer than their losses to the Royal Navy over the centuries
137. Max Powers | 10.07.09
“And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
I suppose it makes sense, if one smokes enough dope.”
“The French have a Navy? Har Har har!”
Yes Damien, these would be what are known in America as “Republicans” and they are not typically bright. (EG. George W Bush)
See, its easier to make fun of how dumb the French are when you are in a country that: is $10T in debt, starts wars it doesn’t know how to win/end, has 10% unemployment after it blew up the world economy, and has a healthcare system that is the most expensive and one of the least effective in the world, rather than take stock and get your own house in order before you mock someone else’s.
138. sebastian | 10.07.09
what the hell you think you think us the only country have navy you must be a bone head or something hahahaha i bet you don’t know where the franch is right!!
139. Tom from Colorado | 10.07.09
Michael Z. Williamson, get a clue. These ships don’t have armed squads on them because the companies that own and insure them don’t care that much about the crews and calculate that it’s cheaper to pay the ransom for a small number of ships than to pay for additional armed crew on all ships passing through the Gulf of Aden.
The left? You only show your ignorance. Did you think these were U.S. flagged ships? There are 432 U.S. flagged ships of which 74 are foreign-owned. There are 732 U.S. owned ships which are registered in foreign countries. Check the CIA World Fact Book under transportation for the following countries: U.S., Panama, Antigua and Barbuda, and the Bahamas.
140. Bschorr | 10.07.09
“Thou shalt not kill.”
If you’re going to quote the 5th commandment, don’t forget the 7th and 10th.
-B-
141. Bob/USA | 10.07.09
I am amazed, the french didn’t chase down the pirates, jump on their ship, lay their weapons and surrender!
142. T | 10.07.09
They knew it was a French military ship. They just believed all those jokes about the French surrendering at the drop of a hat! (The problem is, of course, the pirates FORGOT TO BRING HATS!)
143. tl | 10.07.09
What actually happened was all the French on board went to the ship deck and through up their arms to surrender. The pirates saw they were out numbered and thought the French were telling them to surrender as a form international sign language…. The French lucked out..The rest is history.
144. worldrimroamer | 10.07.09
Michael Z. Williamson wrote “And yet the Left vehemently opposes the very reasonable notion of allowing commercial ships to carry a squad of armed veterans as defense. Far better to spend millions on warship sorties, rather than “endorse violence,” right?
Michael, it’s not the “left”. I asked for two or three weeks, why don’t these ships just defend themselves with security guards carrying machine guns??? Duh? The answer I finally heard is that one of the big problems is that the increase in insurance on the ship would rise so sharply if the ship is armed that it is cheaper to pay the ransom than to pay the increased insurance. How stupid!!! I would think that having the ship armed would DECREASE the insurance rates.
Chalk one more up for the insurance companies. They’re capitalist crooks.
146. Erik | 10.07.09
Hey Dr Bill,or anyone who knows, what stopped the Somme from firing back? Seems like an appropriate response.
147. Jean | 10.07.09
Just spent the better part of my day—things are slow—writing a comment for this blog only to be informed by a pop-up screen to slow down. I was going too fast. I’m not sure what you mean. Was I typing too fast—10 words a minute doesn’t seem extravagant—or was it that it only took me a better part of the morning to write the comment? Please let me know. If I’m going to waste time, I’d rather do it on a blog that will post my contributions, no matter how speadily they were put together.
148. random French guy | 10.07.09
Yes, the French have a navy. 
They also have about 300 nuclear warheads, that’s presumably more than China.
149. mac | 10.07.09
I have been thru the Sea of Aden on a cruise ship. Very peaceful then and sad to say that most stay clear today. Pirates are like most other criminals, they would rather break the law than actually WORK. I would rather do away with them any way we can. Jesus taugh that we should turn the other cheek, but he did not say we should allow others to abuse us or take advantage of us. We should pray for those who have to make the tough decisions in cases such as this. Our protection is in their hands. God bless them.
150. Ralph | 10.07.09
Wow, I have found that it is far easier to run a spittle flecked foul mouth than it is to actually have to think. Thanks for removing that burden.
151. Gerry | 10.07.09
The comments show alot of ignorance about France and the French military. Ever hear of the Battle of Yorktown? It was the decisive battle in which the French Navy defeated the British Navy and won the American Revolution. Americans lack gratitude to the French.
French military history is full of glory.
I think alot of you get your information from sources like Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and Jay Leno. You really need to learn more about other countries and other cultures.
152. Patrick | 10.07.09
Michelle Pfeiffer couldn’t have made that up herself. Better to give credit to the writer.
As far as the pirates go, when I see a nasty bug crawling up my wall, and I can hit it with my swatter or try and pick it up and put it outside … I prefer to squash it.
153. Rafer Janders | 10.07.09
Funny How the Pirates can find cargo ships, I mean what happen to the story of the Irainian Cargo ship with Nuclear waste on board, or some of the other ships sitting in Mogs harbor with Chemical and biological waste on board? Hmmmm, Something smells like fish and it aint all the Korea and Japanese and Chinese Fishing boats pillaging the Pirates coast, Hmmm here is a senerio, Ship owner fills up ship with waste and insures the Ship, Call the pirate lord and gives him the GPS location of the Ship and a little payment on the side, Presto Dumb pirates take ship, Ship owner gets insurance money and gets rid of the Waste on board at the same time!
Movie plot or reality? As for the morons above dissing the French, I guess you have never met a French Marine, or a Legionaire Before! They would cut your touge out at the drop of a hate, and those Legion boys like big sharp knifes!
155. Jack Thick | 10.07.09
Hey Maxim, if an out of work neighbor from down the street invaded your home, held a gun to your head and demanded money, what are YOU going to do, hug the bastard?
156. Keratos | 10.07.09
Maxim
Being hungry is NO EXCUSE for taking weapons out to threaten or steal from other people. Not ever. Sell the weapons and buy food. Shoot a dear. Starve as an honorable human being. If you decide to act dishonorable and steal, well your purported victim has every right to defend his property, and if you get shot in the process it is your own dang fault.
157. Tom from Colorado | 10.07.09
All of your negative comments about the French military just show ignorance. In World War I, France fought against Germany for 4 years. They mobilized 7.5 million troops, suffered 1.4 million killed and 4.3 million wounded. The U.S. was in the war for a year and a half. There were a bit over a million American troops in France. 53 thousand were killed and 200,000 wounded. America’s fresh troops and supplies may have made the difference, but on the day that the Armistice was signed, the most of the line was still being held by French and British troops, not Americans. (At the beginning of WWI, the population of France was about 40 million, the population of the U.S. was 92 million)
158. jimnamvet | 10.07.09
The solution to pirates is simple. blast them out of the water before they get close enough to board ship. End of pirates.
159. Mi. History | 10.07.09
Might I remind everyone, that under the rules of the Admiralty and still in effect, the penalty for piracy on the high seas is “DEATH BY HANGING”.
This has been practised by all sea going nations and that is what eventually ended the problem of piracy!`
160. Napolian Dynamite | 10.07.09
WOW I am impressed a military victory for France. That will go down in the history books. I’m supprised the didn’t surrender last time the girl scouts were selling cookies door to door they thought they were being invaded by China.
161. Duncan Edwards | 10.07.09
It’s fun to joke about the French lack of backbone for anything but wine, women, and mimes but this isn’t about that. The real jokes are those people who feel the need to defend the pirates for whatever reason. Be they exploited, enslaved, denied, or whatever the world is filled with honorable impoverished people who manage to get by each day without resorting to crime. I have spent my share of time among them trying to make life a little better so I’m not making hollow talk. Living in a kleptocracy like Somalia is what has created these pirates. In spite of all pretense at being pious followers of Islam the entire nation is populated and ruled by sadistic thugs who are only interested in being on top for as long as they can. The Somali people are exploited far worse by their own countrymen than anything that outsiders have ever done. There is no reason to hold the pirates up as victims, defenders, or heros, when all they are doing is their own share of the behavior that has destroyed their homeland.
162. Maxim | 10.07.09
Keratos, your idea that pirates should just “shoot a deer” instead is much like Marie Antoinette asking why starving peasants “don’t just eat cake”.
163. Idiot Simp | 10.07.09
I realize why , economically, people excuse these people. I realize why, given the dumping and other things, the fishing violations, why they are in a bad position, why they are angry. However, they are also dangerous criminals, attacking innocent other people, stealing property, and the best way to end this unfortunately,( if some new agey love and understanding approach won’t work), might be to blow their butts out of the water. Pirates make the sea, which is a naturally wonderful (and naturally dangerous) place, unsafe for others, and they deserve no quarter as they say in the pirates movies. It’s a shame, but if somebody attacked my warship, my anyship, and the capacity was there, I’d open fire on them, and they’d deserve it. They should at least, expect it. I’d say , ask the pirates what they would do, if they were the owners and sailors of those ships… what they would expect, were their roles reversed. It is a sad situation, but we don’t hear about a lot of the horrors these people are doing out there to innocent people on their yachts, just passing by. Nor the ordeals of those held hostage for months. if a lack of sex does not excuse a rapist, then a lack of normal economic circumstances does not excuse the crime of piracy. However, if crimes have been committed off the coast, trespass, dumping, and overfishing, then international action is indeed merited and long overdue. That larger justice needs looking at by the big powers. But If that was addressed and the piracy continued, then they have no justification then at all, would they? Back to tough love in a sad situation.
Those making jokes about the French Navy, that’s just being goofy though. I admire their Navy’s restraint. But I’d have called in some kind of air or other support to get that other boat. Big sea I know though.
164. RW | 10.07.09
So let me understand this. These guys are starving so they hijack a Russian vessel with tanks on it? Makes since to me.
How about the fact that Bin Laden hatched his war against America in Mogadishu, and in true Islamic fashion, plunders that area of the world even today. It is a country of Islamic nutcases. I agree, you want sharia law? Then have the mullahs cut off their hands! For all of those who spout your pity for these basic criminals, why don’t YOU go help them out. I lost nothing in Somalia or any other country and don’t have a need to support one more mentally chellenged muslim. I apparently will be supporting their biggest supporterof all for another 39 months. Shoot’em all, let god sort them out!
165. keratos | 10.07.09
Gerry
Dont criticize Bill O’Reilly if you can’t get your own facts straight.
The battle of Yorktown was fought on land. The French did contribute about 7800 troops to it. The colonies contributed about 11000. No naval involvement.
The British couldn’t evacuate by sea because Admiral DeGrasse and the French fleet had them bottled up after repulsing the British Navy fleet trying to resupply Cornwallis. The sea battle was the Battle of the Chesapeake, which is what you are trying to say. The French had the British outnumbered about 24 to 19 in ships of the line but still acquitted themselves well.
We do owe the French a debt of gratitude for this.
I get a lot of my facts from Fox because it is more accurate and less biased than say - NBC.
166. joebloggs | 10.07.09
@Michael Z Williamson and @ worldrimroamer: you both display astonishing ignorance and bias. The reason the ships aren’t armed has nothing to do with the left (!) (Good grief - these are international ships, dummy, with nothing to do with US politics!) or insurance companies gouging. Under international law most countries do not allow ships that are armed to enter their harbors. It’s as plain and simple as that. Otherwise there’d be no law to stop Iranian naval fleet sailing into New York. Additionally, the shipping companies do not want armed guards on their ships (which could be taken off prior to sailing into port) because it would raise the stakes, cause the pirates to be better armed, and lead to deaths of merchant seamen.
As shown on this board, the top two problems facing the US are health care (or lack of it) and education (or lack of it). Arrogance is a close third.
167. Idi | 10.07.09
It never ceases to amaze me how “poverty” justifies crime in the eyes of so many, and in this case, even violent crime via assault weapon and rocket propelled grenades.
I guess if they were in some of your neighborhoods robbing houses, it would be O.K. because they “had no choice”.
Feed em’ to the sharks.
They obviously have failed as human beings and should be removed from the gene pool…
168. Right Said Fred | 10.07.09
This is what comes up when you type French military victories into GOOGLE and hit the I’m Feeling lucky.
Did you mean: french military defeats
No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.
Your search - french military victories - did not match any documents.
Suggestions:
- Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
- Try different keywords.
- Try more general keywords.
- Try fewer keywords.
169. Minndonn | 10.07.09
Several criticize the French on WWII but remember we only entered that war when we were attacked by Japan. Until that time we said the hell with Europe. If we had been a better ally maybe France and the other countries would n not have been overrun . Seems the French and several other countries were right on Iraq. Lots of Blunder from some of you with out any reality. AS far give them seeds and a shovel, that is what farming would be in California and much of the west if not for irrigation etc and disproportionate price guarantees. Some places just can not be as productive as our Midwest.
170. Religious Gun Owner | 10.07.09
I say blow ‘em all to hell, and let God sort ‘em out. Seriously, what’s the different between Pirate and Terrorist? Just ’cause one’s black and the other’s Islamic? So you think it’s ok to rob people ’cause you’re poor? Well, let’s let everybody out of jail then, ’cause all those blacks in jail were poor too, that’s why they stole your car.
We killed over 100,000 Iraqis while “liberating” Iraq. Maybe we need to “liberate” Somalia too. That’ll take care of those terrorists, I mean Pirates….
I mean, if we take a pirate and put a turban on him, then it’s okay to hold him forever in Gauntanamo, torture him, and execute him without a trial. ‘Cause that’s protecting America.
Signed; George Bush…
171. dd | 10.07.09
The pirates mistakenly thought they are onto cargo ship with a mother-load of French gourmet food, untold crates of bottles of rare wine and tonnes of latest fashion garments which they can present to their girlfriends back in Somalia.
But wait, the French navy ship somehow did happen to have all those things on board
172. J Phua | 10.07.09
Right the pirates got their good meals navy services warm FRENCH FRITES. They must be pretty hungry.
173. Dan | 10.07.09
yeah, the French do not have a Navy, but at least they have a universal health care system (ranking first worldwide, from WHO)… They just spend their tax money differently… It is a matter of values and priorities… In such asymmetric conflicts, it does not matter to have the biggest stockpile of nukes… See the Israelian last year in Libanon, did they win? Cheers!
174. smackdown | 10.07.09
Granted most on here are lauding the French for capturing them, many are saying “kill ‘em all”… a few are citing the leftist mantra “Oh those poor people have no other way to make a living, they’re starving”…
B.S., they ask for millions of dollars in ransom… any idea how much rice a million bucks buys? they’ve got money for guns and ships… those millions aren’t feeding the people, they’re going to buy more ships and more guns… and into the pockets of the corrupt few… the problem is that their ‘culture’ accepts corruption and see’s this sort of thing as ‘acceptable’… wanna fix your economy? stop having 8 kids when you can’t feed yourself… life isn’t fair, and anyone expecting a free ride is in for disappointment.
176. Andrew | 10.07.09
Does no one realize that these pirates are living in one of the poorest, lawless country’s? And we are getting excite about the thought of killig/torturing them?
177. ASPHALTCOWBOY | 10.07.09
I’m sad to say that in all the pictures of the “Somali Pirates”; none of them had wooden legs or a parrot on their shoulders.
178. GVitali | 10.07.09
As in my previous #79 intervention, I state again that many comments here-above demonstrate a high level of ignorance of history and geopolitics.
I also wish reminding that without France assistance the United States of America would had not seen daylight when they had. This, I believe, is worth more respect to that country, where you can actually find some food for brains…
Recent France dissension with US foreign policy, i.e. Iraq war 2, was due to highly justified reasons. Firstly, the war was illegal according to international law that is UN chart. Secondly, there were NO mass destruction weapons in Iraq, which was the primary reason for the Bush administration to carry on a military intervention. Yes, that Administration lied to you, several times, and you voted for it twice! This is not wisdom.
Someone here-above, mentioned Vietnam War as a result of French colonialism failure. This is in part true. But nobody asked US to intervene there. If you study more, you will learn that Kennedy, for many reasons, did not want to go to war in Vietnam. But how strange was it that just four days after his assassination Lyndon Johnson reversed that decision and…war it was. There is no France-related cause there. Study, please study…
P.S. I’m not French.
179. Tony Rodriguez | 10.07.09
The flip side of this story is that other nations with high tech trawlers have fished-out the territorial waters off Somalia, putting the local fishermen out of business. To add insult to injury, several European nations have been using the shores of Somalia as a dumping ground for a variety of scrapped electronics and hazardous radiological and chemical waste, poisoning the local populace. Can you blame the Somalis for turning to piracy? It’s a matter of survival for them.
180. Xin | 10.07.09
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5141745.ece
Actually Matt, I am not sure the rescue of the American captain should be #1 blunder…
I mean, last November a band of pirates tried to shoot down a British Assault gunship full of Marines..
182. Michael Z. Williamson | 10.07.09
Apathetician: You’re right. Clearly, the problem is insurmountable. After all, there’s no way to change a LAW. Curse those darn kids!
A number of nations are just fine with the concept of arms aboard ship, and a number of others are just fine with having a bonded arms locker once in territorial waters, thus allowing the potential to have armed crew defend against pirates. It has, in fact, been discussed.
And even with all that, the left STILL wets pants and hoplophobically screams about “escalating the violence!” or suggests the crew might sell those weapons for a few bucks once ashore, nevermind they’d have to compensate the company, and would then be defenseless against pirates.
Still, I suppose when your argument depends on sounding as if you’re knowledgeable on a subject you’re not, condescension’s the way to go.
183. Michael Z. Williamson | 10.07.09
Oh, and FYI, I’m British born, now living in the States, an OIF veteran, not a Republican (so much for certain stereotypes being bandied about. Someone mentioned bigotry?), and well versed in the matter of illicit toxic waste dumping in Somali waters. The truly disturbing thing is that European nations also illicitly FISH in those waters. I’m not sure how to parse that. I’m sure there’s a good reason, and some of the legion of people smarter than me will trot it out in a second.
While the economics do play a part, there’s also the matter of both shipping time and port scheduling getting disrupted and cargo damage, as well as potential huge insurance costs if crew actually die in such assaults, the likelihood of which is increasing. This is part of the reason it’s now “news” even though it’s been going on for centuries. Not every company involved is a megacorp with a bazillion dollars to throw gleefully around.
And as some true liberal above reminded us, we all should own arms against the depredations of both far right and far left.
184. Coastie Guy | 10.08.09
The only reason these pirates don’t kill passengers and crew, is because they are meal tickets. We faced a similar situation 200 years ago from Tripoli: warlords who think it is OK to enrich themselves through theft, extortion and kidnapping in international waters. We should deal with them now as we did then. We can’t arm mercahnt vessels, but why can’t we send out a few “Q” ships? Naval vessels with overwhelming firepower disguised as merchant vessels, with the specific intention of inviting attack, and then obliterating the attackers. It would be an interesting study in ballistics to see the effect of a five-inch shell impacting an open launch. To the Pirates: if you initiate force of arms, don’t cry foul when your quarry responds under force of arms. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.
185. The Jerk | 10.08.09
These poor starving pirates making millions of dollars ransoming ships, and holding crews captive at gunpoint. Clearly these actions are a result of medical waste being dumped in their ocean, and other countries stealing their fish.
Why can’t we see that this is just payback, and that it’s everyone else’s fault for the condition of their country? It’s good to see that those forced to take on a life of piracy, have decided to pump the millions of dollars received in ransom money into their communities by building schools, funding housing projects, and reparing roads. These are good people.
186. Keratos | 10.08.09
Maxim,
I have no problem with them eating cake. They need to eat their own cake. If they try to eat my cake they richly deserve the bullet they are gonna catch when they come into my house to get it. No one gets to give other people trouble just because they have some trouble of their own.
Maxim the point you missed above is that if you can afford an AK 47 you aren’t totally indigent. You can sell it and buy seeds, or a ride to a country where there is more food, or a boat and a fish net, or etc. etc. etc. And you can kill things with an AK-47 and eat them. You don’t have to intrude on someone elses ship with it.
Deer. Sorry bout the typo.
187. John | 10.08.09
Wait, so you want to kill a bunch of pirates for plundering a few ships and making off with a couple million, but we reward financial pirates on wall street with billions of our tax dollars of bailout money? I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any quarrel with any pirates thousands of miles away from me, who’ve never stolen MY money like wall street. It’s their coast, their land, their sea…..it’s got absolutely nothing to do with us.
Secondly, what’s being overlooked is the fact that many of these foreign vessels being hijacked are illegal fishing vessels plundering the local fish stock, stealing upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fish. Recently, the pirates hijacked a Spanish fishing vessel fishing within Somalia’s exclusive economic zone. What in the world is a Spanish vessel doing fishing off of Somalia’s coast illegally? If this was done off of the coast of the U.S., you’d be sure that it’d get blown out of the water.
188. DL | 10.08.09
There appear to be a lot of very uninformed people responding to this article. They know nothing about other countries, i.e. France. They appear to be biased against France for reasons I cannot fathom. I am ashamed for them. I am American but I have traveled. Try travel for a change. It will open your eyes to other cultures.
189. alonzo | 10.08.09
I just wonder if the 20th guy to make a joke about the French not surrendering actually thinks he’s being witty and original. Or for that matter, if the 19th thinks so, or even the first.
Tired, lame joke, and historically stupid. Without French help, we’d be subjects of the Windsor family today.
190. DENNIS | 10.08.09
“DJ” WRITES:
Two words for the commentators to this article: bloodthirsty Francophobes
DENNIS RESPONDS:
dj, you can shorten that epithet to simply “Americans.”
191. Coastie Guy | 10.09.09
As to the Spanish fishing vessels in their national waters, then fine, let some of those millions of dollars go toward forming a bina fide Somali Coast Guard, responsible for enforcing (and, by the way, obeying) international law, in order to protect their fisheries. However targeting and taking freighters, tankers, cruise ships, and the like on the high seas is one of two things: if under color and authority of a national ensign, it is an act of war; if under no national colors, it is an act of piracy. Either way you slice it, international law allows resistence and retaliation under force of arms by those who have the resources to do so. Complaints about someone who shoots back, after you have opened fire in ambush of them, fall dead upon my ears.
As to the benevolence of these pirates, using their gains for schools, hospitals, food, etc., that is more the exception than the rule. Even if such institutions are built, the pirates are working for tribal warlords, so the money is being used ONLY to feed/chothe/sheter/care for members of their own tribe. Others, even in the same city, are excluded and persecuted. So spare us the crap about the humanitarian aims of the pirates.
As to France, let’s lay off them, huh? France has a modern and competent military. Every enemy she has faced has known that and consequently, made sure that, before attacking France, that they too have a powerful military. Like every other nation on earth, France will ally herself with, oppose, or remain neutral with, other nations in various situations, as she deems fitting to comply with her OWN national interest. No nation on earth is any different - not the US, not Great Britain, not Spain, not any other nation. I am an American, and I may not agree with France’s national policies and practices, but the are the policies and practices of a modern democratic nation, fully entitles to act in HER OWN self interest - with no obligation to act in MY best interest.
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1. Cisco Cividanes | 10.07.09
There is something to be said for basic issues like “training”, “equipment” and “profeciency”. Even if every pirat in somalia tried to take over a US destroyer, it would be a likely bloodbath.
However, we must not forget that for the pirats, Death is part of the business. Where in the US, a single civilian loss can mean career ending headlines for some elected or corporate officals. We are two very differnt adversaries fighting two very differnt battles with very differnt standards to meet.
With that in mind, I think it is very possible for a Somali pirat to stumble across a political/social victory at home with a lucky strike, where with NATO, victory is a very vaguely defined target at the moment.